Khabib is getting attention from Russian president again. President was visiting Dagestan and before returning back to Moscow he took time to speak with Khabib and his father about the fight.
So Putin starts by congratulating Khabib on the victory.
Putin: I wan to congratulate you, I'll start with you (to Abdulmanap) on your son's victory. I was a worthy victory and I think it was a worthy strong opponent this time.
Khabib: He was respectful, tough and strong. This time it was a respectful guy.
Putin: That depends on the person, but a great athlete has to be respectful, there is not other way. But it was a confident victory. I saw it, well done.
Khabib: Thanks a lot.
Putin: I was a good choke.
Khabib: This time my father was with me so I couldn't let him down.
Putin: It was a classic rear choke, you did it with good technique, you did not push on his throat but pushed on the sides (arteries). That's right I saw it, he was squeezing from both sides like you're suppose to. Everything was fair.
Khabib: (Laugh) For the beginning I was trying to do neck crank in the first round, but he was turning away from it correctly. It also turned out that way that all the action took place by my father, I'm squeezing and I turn to my father and speak to him through the cage "I'm not getting the choke". My friends asked me later if my father told me not to finish him in the first round.
Vassiliev (head of Dagestan): I heard "otpusti" let him go.
Abdulmanap: No I told him "don't stress, it's all going well".
Putin: He was a good striker right?
Khabib: Yes, he caught me with a good shot. All of his fights he wins by striking and pressure. We expected that whe would be a little quicker than me with his hands in the stand up and That's why we had to slow him down.
Putin: You mean make him tired so he would be slower.
Khabib: Yes, we knew that it would be dangerous to strike with him in the first round, that's why the plan was to take him down and tire him out in the first round. In the second round I got to carried away in the stand up and got caught with a punch (laugh). Then I hear my father's unsatisfied tone (smile) and understand that I have to get back to wrestling.
Putin: That's right, you need to use your strong traits and stop him from using his.
Abdulmanap: Less risk.
Putin: Yes, he's a little taller than you right?
Khabib: No, we're about the same. I though I would be bigger and stronger, but we were about the same. In the clinch I felt that he's not weaker than me physically. That's when I understood that I will have to grind him for a bit, I will have to ride him (smile). Also it was very hot in there, that meant that he was very slippery. I noticed from the first clinch that it was hard to hold him because of this, that meant I had to adjust my strategy a bit during the fight.
Putin: Yes that creates additional difficulties...
Abdulmanap: Some people try to cheat, they rub their hair with a substance that starts running when the person starts to sweat and they become more slippery.
Khabib: Another thing is, I'm used to fighting in the states. When you walk in, the crowd is usually supporting your opponent. I'm used to whistling and booing. But this time when I walked in and everyone was supporting me, I'm not used to it. I didn't think It would be so strange.
In the dressing room everything felt as usual, nothing special. But when I walked in and felt all that support, saw so many friend and family in the arena. I actually felt a lot of pressure, that I haven't felt for a long time. Usually that feeling stops, but this time after 5 minutes I was still feeling this pressure and I look over at my father and I see that he's a bit nervous as well. I tell him, hey you're suppose to be calm here, you're making me even more nervous
.
Abdulmanap: There were so many papakha hats there it was almost like being home.
Khabib: But later when the fighting started I felt ok.
Putin: Yes I saw that you got some good takedowns on him where you lifted him of his feet.
Khabib: There was another thing, I told my friend (Islam) before the fight that I noticed that he likes to go for guillotine when taken down. I saw that he does it with his right hand and never with his left. I told him that I want to give up my neck to gas his arms.
Putin: That is very dangerous.
Khabib: Yes, that's dangerous, but I was pushing on his right leg so he never had two legs around me. But I felt that it went wrong and I felt that the squeezing got stronger and stronger. I rolled over to the side and it still only got stronger. That's when I felt I was in trouble and that I had to get out of there.
Putin: During those situations you don't notice how you go to sleep.
Khabib: Yes you wake up..
Putin: And everything is over.
Khabib: Yes that was a moment in the fight where I almost made a mistake.
Putin: I want ot congratulate you once again. It was a good and fair fight and a beautiful victory.
Khabib: Thank you, how is your health.
Putin: Very good, thank you.
Khabib: With your schedule it must be hard to maintain good health without exercise.
Putin: It would be impossible. The jet lag is the hardest thing, to fly between Vladivostok and Moscow, it's 7 hour difference, that's hard to get used to. You know all about that.
Khabib: Yes you need an acclimatisation period. We went to UAE from California, it's 11 hour difference and it took about a week to get back to feeling normal. I was keeping an eye on the opponent, if he's come yet. He came later than me and I knew that it would take 10 days for him to getting used to it. So you try to think positive and think of the small advantages you have over your opponent.
Usually it takes about a week to get used to the heat. During the first week, in the gym, you are suffocating. We have been there before, we knew that it is desert climate that takes getting used to. So we knew that you have to come in advance. It's 43-46 degrees celsius and warm winds. Also they build a new arena, that was only 80-90% complete, so there were problems with oxygen in there. So imagine this, plus about 20 000 people in the arena and the heat outside. Before the fight everyone told me it's very hot, I was thinking that during the main event that's when it's going to be full crowd, so it will get even hotter in there.
Abdulmanap: The difference between the temperature in the dressing room and arena was 14 degrees celsius.
Khabib: Yes I was already sweating before I even got to the octagon. So it's a first time I fought in conditions like this. And also first time with father in my corner (laugh), you fight and he is always in the back of your head.
Putin: I want to congratulate you guys once again.
